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  • Title: Dexamethasone treatment of lipopolysaccharide-induced meningitis in rabbits that mimics magnification of inflammation following antibiotic therapy.
    Author: Rooney P, Bilbe G, Zak O, O'Reilly T.
    Journal: J Med Microbiol; 1995 Jul; 43(1):37-44. PubMed ID: 7608953.
    Abstract:
    The objective of adjunct anti-inflammatory therapy of bacterial meningitis is the containment of heightened inflammation caused by lysis of bacteria by antibiotics. This can be modelled by giving two consecutive intra-cisternal injections of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to rabbits, the first at 0 h to induce inflammation to mimic that occurring during the proliferation of bacteria in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and the second at 6 h to mimic inflammation subsequent to antibiotic-induced bacterial lysis. Injection of 2.5 ng of LPS induced pleocytosis at 4 h which was preceded by a peak of tumour necrosis factor (TNF) activity at 2 h. A subsequent injection of 25 ng of LPS at 6 h induced second peaks of pleocytosis and CSF TNF. Dexamethasone (1.5 mg/kg, i.v.) administered 15 min or 1 h before the second injection of LPS tended only to reduce CSF TNF, but effectively prohibited further pleocytosis. Brain TNF alpha mRNA levels were unchanged at 6 and 7 h after LPS injection, and were unaffected by dexamethasone. These results indicate that the subarachnoid space is distinct from the general circulation in that the TNF-producing cells present do not display a hypo-responsive state towards LPS as occurs when LPS is injected systemically. Furthermore, dexamethasone is able to attenuate the secondary inflammatory response resulting from a second LPS injection without eliminating a second peak of TNF activity.
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